I love watching these videos of Jack Spencer handcrafting eyeglass frames from used denim. Spencer, who owns and operates an eyewear company called Mosevic in Cornwall, England, provides an overview of his project:
I have spent over 10 years developing my unique process for making denim sunglasses. Starting with making the material by infusing dead stock denim and resin, making a carbon fibre like material, going through many processes and finishes, using my own handmade jigs for assembly. It takes 2 weeks to make a small batch in my workshop based in Cornwall, UK.
Readers Digest explains how Spencer got into the used denim eyewear business:
In the late aughts, Spencer, who has a background in sustainable product design, was working with composite materials including carbon fiber. This strong yet lightweight material, which is made by binding layers of carbon fibers with resin, is popular in aerospace and engineering, but it got Spencer thinking about other applications—namely, in the fashion world.
A self-described fan of unusual eyewear, he had the idea to turn "floppy denim" into "solid denim" and create frames using a similar technique. Nearly a decade and hundreds of prototypes later, he figured out the ideal way to do that and founded Mosevic. (Mosevic is a family name and a nod to his Norwegian heritage.)
Readers Digest more fully describes the detailed process of making the upcycled, sustainable frames:
The intensive process, which takes two weeks in Spencer's workshop in Cornwall, England, involves piecing together many layers of denim, infusing them with resin and then pressing them together until they dry. These frames aren't just topped with denim; they are almost entirely created from it. And in case you were wondering, they are water-resistant and repel sweat and sunscreen, just like regular sunglasses.
Spencer then adds brass details and lenses, and—voila!—you have a fabulous pair of made-to-order sunglasses that customers say are "substantial" and "lightweight," as well as durable.
Enjoy watching these videos of Spencer in action, and see more on Mosevic's Instagram. And if you want to check out the finished products, head over to the Mosevic website.
